


reading between the lines | ringsy

by lockedinmybody



Category: Unter Uns
Genre: Fluff, Love, M/M, References to Homophobia, ringsy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-24 23:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14366442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lockedinmybody/pseuds/lockedinmybody
Summary: ringo and easy become roommates, and ringo manages to convince himself he's homophobic in the process.





	reading between the lines | ringsy

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is based on [this](http://lockedinmybody.tumblr.com/post/171636623871/artemuscain-gamingandbs-mamatronchatoro) post, but don't read it if you don't want to get fully spoiled for this fic lmao. also shoutout to nicole or [fangirlqueen87](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlqueen87/pseuds/Fangirlqueen87) who wrote a robron version of this. 
> 
>  
> 
> let me know what you thought, either here or on [tumblr](https://softlofty.tumblr.com/) :D

It’s the eighteenth call he has made this week. Eighteen of anything in a week is probably too much.  
But university is starting in a couple of weeks and Ringo needs a place to stay, and so he begrudgingly clicks on another post in a Facebook group for people who are looking for housing.

_Looking for a roommate, spacious apartment for two but you have to be able to handle the rent. Two bedrooms, one bathroom and a mixed kitchen/lounge area. Serious offers only. Call number below if interested._

There’s a few photos of the apartment attached to the post, and it looks nice. It seems like there’s enough ways to maintain your privacy – Ringo’d had three separate occasions where the person on the phone told them the bedrooms had open walls without doors and he had hung up two seconds later each time – and it has all of the basic necessities, combined with it being close enough to the university, and even the rent seems to be alright for what you get.

Ringo’s typing the phone number into his phone, finger hovering over the green button when his eye falls on the guy’s profile picture. He clicks on it without thinking, and the dude’s profile is as private as it can be, but he does have a profile picture. A soft, round face with dark hair and a cute smile.  
Ringo thinks he spots a hint of a dimple. On top of all that, he looks _warm_ and _friendly_ , and it puts Ringo’s mind at ease as he presses the call button.

“Ingo Winter.” It sounds after a few seconds. Ringo frowns. The name on the post said ‘Easy Winter’, not Ingo.  
“Yeah, hi, I’m calling because I’m interested in a flat, but I’m looking for an Easy Winter?”  
There’s a light chuckle. “Oh yeah sorry, that is me. My real name is Ingo but everyone calls me Easy. So you’re interested in the apartment?”  
“Yeah, could I come look at it sometime this week? Time is kind of running out for me.”  
“Sure, I’m home all day tomorrow if that’s convenient for you.”

This is the first house Ringo is actually going to visit, which already makes it feel like a win. The prospect of it actually working out and not having to look for a place to stay anymore calms Ringo down more than he’d like to admit.  
Easy tells him the address and Ringo scribbles it down on a notepad, thanking Easy and ending the call. 

When he’s waiting at the door the next day, he’s more nervous than he thought he would be. He’s pressed the button for Easy’s apartment, and Ringo’s just about to text him when there’s footsteps down the stairs. “Hey, Ringo right?” Ringo looks up, and the guy has an easiness about him and a grin on his face that instantly draws Ringo in.  
He smiles back. “Yeah, that’s me.” Easy steps closer to shake Ringo’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Come on up.” Easy turns around and walks back up the stairs and Ringo follows him. 

“So, this is the apartment.” Easy says as he opens the door. Ringo waits behind the doorstep but Easy just smiles at him, gesturing for him to go first. “Wow, it’s really nice.” Ringo says genuinely.  
Everything he initially liked about it is just as good in person, and Ringo feels comfortable even though he’s essentially standing in a stranger’s living room.  
“The photos were really great by the way,” Ringo comments, looking at Easy, “like, better than average great.” Easy grins at him, seeming to like the fact that Ringo noticed the quality of the pictures. “Well, I am a professional photographer so I should hope so.” Easy jokes.

Easy shows him around, pushing open the doors and explaining where everything is. “So are you going to university, or?” Ringo nods. “Yeah, quite soon actually so this is great timing.”  
Easy smiles at him. “Well, I’m good if you are.” They go over some of the technical stuff, but an hour later, Ringo is at home packing up his stuff.

The next day Ringo is waiting by the door with two boxes in his arms. They’re not even all that heavy, most of it is clothing. He realised whilst packing that he got rid of a lot of stuff when his parents passed away. So many of the things reminded him of them, and it was too painful.

Easy opens the door for him, “come on in.”. Ringo sees Easy’s eyes fall on the boxes and the little crease in between his eyebrows that follows. Ringo sets the boxes on the table and looks at Easy. “I know, it’s not that much. Turns out I don’t have a lot of stuff.” Ringo shrugs and folds the top box open. Easy looks at him for a moment, eyes squinted as he looks for something in Ringo’s face but he doesn’t find it, so he shakes his head and smiles. “That’s fine. Well, you know where your room is, so feel free to settle everything in.” Ringo nods. Easy pats his shoulder once and grins. “Welcome home, roommate.”

***

It takes about a week of being around Easy for Ringo to get used to the new situation. They’ve gotten to know each other a little bit better, Easy already has a favourite dish from Ringo and Ringo teases Easy endlessly for the crap reality TV he catches him watching late at night. Easy is not hard to get along with, he’s clear about his boundaries and he communicates with Ringo about whether or not he’s having dinner at their place, or if he’s spending the night somewhere else.

Which is probably why Ringo feels a little stunned when he comes home one night. He’s spent the entire day at university, and there’s still so much new information he has to take in that he’s exhausted. He opens the front door, and sees Easy on the couch, making out with a curly-haired… man.  
Ringo sees Easy’s fingers slip to the buttons of the other man’s shirt, and it feels like someone just threw a bucket of ice cold water over Ringo’s head.  
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Ringo hastily mumbles as he makes a beeline for his bedroom. He sees Easy looking up with a reddened face from the corner of his eye but he tries not to pay attention to it. 

The door falls shut behind him, and Ringo lets his back fall against it. He takes his bag off his shoulder and lets it drop to the floor.  
Easy hadn’t mentioned he’s into men. Not that he should have, Ringo thinks. Where would he have dropped that, in between questions of ‘do you smoke’ and ‘do you have any allergies? Still, it was… strange seeing Easy kiss a guy. Ringo can feel it makes him uncomfortable, and that doesn’t sit well with him. He takes a few steps and slowly sinks down onto his bed. 

He’s not homophobic, is he? Ringo doesn’t think he is, he knew one or two people in middle school who were gay and he was fine with that. It never made him feel uneasy. Then again, he never had to see those people making out right in front of him.  
Ringo chews on his lip, lost in thought, when there’s a knock on the door. “Yeah?”  
The door opens, and reveals a sheepish Easy. “Hey,” Easy clears his throat, “can we uh, talk about what just happened?” Ringo tries to look past him into the living room and Easy notices. “Oh yeah, no he left.” Ringo gives him a faint smile. “Did I ruin the mood?”

Easy leans against the doorway, crossing his arms and a soft but apprehensive look on his face. “I am sorry about this, you know. It’s not fair for us to agree that if we bring people back to our place that we proceed in our bedrooms, and then for me to immediately break that rule the first chance I get.” Easy scratches the back of his neck. “I kind of lost track of time. Didn’t think you’d be home yet. Sorry.” Ringo tries to give him a reassured smile but he can sense it’s not wholeheartedly. 

Easy picks up on it. He shifts his weight for a bit and looks down at the floor before looking back up again. “Is there something else?” Ringo zips open his bag and pulls some papers out, wanting to avoid having to look Easy in the eye. “No, it’s all good.”  
It’s quiet for a few seconds. “Alright. I’ll have dinner ready in about an hour.” Ringo hums a noise and Easy leaves with that.

The next day they end up having lunch together. Ringo had afternoon classes and therefore didn’t have to leave yet, and Easy walks back in around midday, having been out for a photography job.  
“Hey.” Ringo holds up a plastic bag as Easy puts his bag to the side. “I got some croissants, you want some?” Easy nods, one corner of his mouth quirking up. “Yeah, sure.” He walks towards a kitchen cabinet to get some plates but stills halfway. “I could grab a bottle of wine and we could have this on the rooftop.” Ringo blinks. “The rooftop?”

It’s a gorgeous sunny day, a warm breeze hitting Ringo’s face as Easy holds the door to the roof open for him. “Wait so, everyone in this building has access to this?” Ringo asks as he looks around. The view is great from up here. “Technically they do,” Easy says as he puts the food and the wine on a table, “but it’s really only used by me and one other flat-share in the building. We’re the only ones who bothered to ask for a key with the landlord.”  
Ringo takes the glass of wine Easy offers him and leans on the wall, looking out over the city.  
A moment later, Easy joins him.

“Have you always lived in Köln?” Easy asks.  
“Hmm.” Ringo agrees around a mouthful of wine. He looks to the side for a moment and notices that Easy’s eyes are more yellow in the sunlight.  
Easy turns to him. “So, have you gotten used to living more or less on your own or do you miss the safe haven of living under mommy and daddy’s roof?” There’s something about the teasing grin on Easy’s face that makes Ringo wish he could snipe back, and they could fall back into the friendly banter they’d both gotten used to by now.  
“Uhm,”, Ringo watches the wine swirl in his glass, “I do miss them, but I haven’t lived with them for a while actually.”  
Easy raises his eyebrows slightly. “Really, how come?” He takes a bite of his croissant.  
“They passed away.” Ringo says quietly, seeing the shock hit Easy’s face. “Car accident. A few years ago.” Ringo tries to sound as nonchalant as he can.

“So I guess that was quite a stupid thing to ask, huh.” Easy says, clearly unsure of what to do. “Hey, it’s fine,” Ringo reassures him, patting Easy’s arm for a moment, “you couldn’t know.”  
They both turn to look out at the city.  
“There’s just me and my sister now, and she went abroad.” Ringo shares. “We’re still in contact though, I Skyped with her this week.” Easy nods. “Thank you for telling me.”  
Ringo shrugs. “You asked.” He grins at Easy. “Sort of.”

It’s three hours later when Ringo closes his laptop and falls back on his bed, finally finished with his assignment for school. He looks on his watch and sees it’s nearing dinnertime, and if he has to cook he should get started right about now.  
“Hey Easy,” Ringo opens his door and walks into the living room, “were you going to cook or do I have to cook today?” Easy walks out of his bedroom. He’s wearing dark jeans and a button-up that he’s currently tugging on. “I’m not eating at home tonight remember, I’m going out.”  
Ringo feels stupid for not remembering. “Oh right, yeah of course.”  
Easy looks down at his own chest as he closes the buttons. “You look nice.” Ringo comments, and he means it. Easy looks _good_ , dark hair swirled up in a way Ringo hadn’t seen on him before, and he guesses Easy will wear his black leather jacket over his outfit, Ringo always notices that he looks good in that.

“Are you going on a date?” Ringo struggles around the word, hates that he can barely get it out of his mouth. It makes Easy uncomfortable too, he can tell.  
“Uh, yeah. I am.” Easy doesn’t look at him as he brushes past Ringo, shrugging his leather jacket on and grabbing his phone from the dinner table.  
“I won’t be back late, but go to bed if you want to.” Easy says, door handle in hand.  
“Sure. Have a good time.” Ringo says, and he watches as Easy closes the door behind him.

Ringo spends the next twenty minutes on the couch, looking for one-person recipes on his phone but he can’t find any good ones so he ends up ordering pizza.  
He gets his favourite, but it doesn’t taste as good as usual.  
Easy didn’t want to tell him he’s going on a date. He’s probably having dinner with that same curly-haired guy right now. The one Ringo caught a mere glimpse of, but is probably quite handsome.  
Easy seemed to think so. He had his hands all over him. If Ringo hadn’t interrupted, they probably would have had sex. Ringo can kind of see it happening in his mind, and his stomach turns.  
He puts the pizza down and he slumps down on the couch, folding his hands over his stomach.

He doesn’t know why, but the thing with Easy liking guys _is_ making Ringo uncomfortable. And it makes him feel awful.  
He might be a straight white guy, but he never thought of himself as bigoted or homophobic. And in theory, he isn't. But seeing Easy with a guy; Ringo can’t deny how that made him feel. And as bad as he feels about it, it’s the truth. And he doesn’t know if he can change that.

He’s been laying in bed for a few hours when he hears the front door open. It’s ten o’clock at night. So the date must have been good. Curly probably took his chance and kissed Easy before they parted ways. Maybe he made it last, lingered for a bit. Ringo wonders if his name was mentioned over dinner. If Easy referred to him as his ‘weird roommate’ who’s been a bit off ever since he saw two boys kiss. Ringo feels childish but the thoughts keep coming.  
He can hear a tap running in the bathroom and then the door next to his shuts. There’s a wall between him and Easy. Both an actual physical wall, and Ringo’s homophobia which he didn’t even realise existed in the first place.

 

They’re fine for like a week. Ringo is busy with university and Easy has a few more jobs than before, and when they see each other in between it’s friendly. They have dinner together multiple times that week and Ringo notices that Easy becomes more comfortable around him, poking fun at Ringo whenever he can. The fact that Easy didn’t go on a single date that week may also have been a factor.

Because then Ringo comes home from uni, and Curly is there, saying goodbye to Easy with a soft fond gaze and his hands on Easy’s arms.  
Curly looks to Ringo the moment he enters the door, and smiles. He sticks his hand out. “Hi, I don’t think we’ve had a chance to meet, I’m-”  
Ringo suddenly feels so unwell at the thought of _meeting the boyfriend_ , he could throw up. There’s not enough oxygen in the room somehow, and Ringo needs to go. “Whatever.” He grits out and walks straight to his room.  
He can hear soft murmurs of Easy saying something to Curly and Ringo crawls into bed, shoving a pillow over his head.

He plans on taking a nap and trying to forget what just happened, but he doesn’t get the chance.  
“What the hell is your problem.” Easy barks, entering Ringo’s room without knocking.  
Ringo quickly sits up and faces Easy.  
“I don’t have a problem.”  
“Yes you do!” Easy points an accusing finger at him, “why can’t you be normal around him?”  
Ringo doesn’t know how to answer that, so he doesn’t.  
“Do you have a problem with me being gay?” Easy says, and Ringo can see he’s hurt under the anger.  
“No, of course not.” Ringo says firmly, even though he’s not so sure anymore.  
Easy pokes his tongue in his cheek. “Really? Because you’re awfully uncomfortable around him when he’s here.”  
“I don’t-“ Ringo snaps his mouth shut and sighs. “I’m fine. I’m sorry.”  
Easy just looks at him for a moment, waits for an explanation and rolls his eyes when he doesn’t get one. “Whatever.” He slams the door shut when he leaves.  
Ringo falls back onto his bed and covers his face with his hands.

He hates having to lie to Easy. Especially since Easy has been nothing but nice and accommodating to him. But he can’t explain himself, and Ringo’s sure he’s not the first guy to tell Easy he’s okay with gay people only for him to turn around and get uncomfortable when he’s actually faced with two guys making out. Which is why every time Easy has confronted him about it, Ringo didn’t offer him an answer or explanation. 

The next morning they bump into each other at breakfast, which usually doesn’t happen. Ringo can see Easy is hesitant about starting a conversation as they’re both sitting at the table, so Ringo breaks the silence. “I’m sorry for being weird about… everything.” Easy gives him a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes but he nods anyway. “It’s fine. Let’s just forget about it.”  
Ringo takes a sip of his coffee and is about to pull out his phone when he decides against it. “What’s your day like today?”  
Easy looks up at the question, seeming pleasantly surprised they weren’t just going to say the polite things and remain distant but actually try and get along.  
“It’s fine. I’m photographing a couple today who are celebrating their engagement.” Easy takes a bite. “I’ve always wondered, doesn’t that get awkward for the photographer?” Ringo asks.

Easy hums around a small laugh. “It does sometimes. Especially if they want photos of them making out,” Easy shakes his head at the thought, “like not a cute peck on the cheek but like full on making out, that gets a little weird.” Ringo’s eyes widen and Easy laughs. “Yeah. They’re the customers though, so I do have suggestions but if that’s what they wanna do,” Easy shrugs, “who am I to judge.”  
Ringo stands up with his plate and coffee mug in hand and walks to the counter. “What a noble profession.”  
Easy grins at him as Ringo puts on his coat. “Everything is a noble profession when you compare it to being a businessman.” Ringo audibly laughs, teeth showing. Things feel normal and balanced again between them, and Ringo is relieved. “Fair point. Well, I’m off to classes. Are you here for dinner tonight?” Easy nods. “Alright, I’ll get some takeout on my way back.”

 

As Ringo walks back to the apartment, a white plastic bag of Chinese food dangling from his hand, his mind wanders to Easy, as it has done a lot since he moved in. It occurs to Ringo that Easy is the first friend he’s made in years. Definitely the first person he’s gotten somewhat close with since his parents died. And friends don’t come easy to Ringo. He either struggles connecting with anyone in the first place, or doesn’t know how to keep people around without them getting bored after a while.

But Easy seems to like him, even with Ringo’s quirks and his odd behaviour surrounding Easy’s love life. And Ringo likes it as well, living with Easy and being around him. He didn’t know what it was going to be like, but of all the people to come home to, Easy is the best.  
Which is just one of the reasons why Ringo still feels troubled about what he feels when he sees or thinks about Easy with a guy. He doesn’t want to feel this way, but it’s automatic. It’s a reflex, it’s there whether he wants it to be or not. But Easy deserves better. And so, as Ringo walks up the stairs towards the front door, he makes a promise to himself: no matter what you _feel_ , you don’t show Easy. Your discomfort only upsets Easy, so hide it.

It’s the next day when Ringo is on the couch reading a book, and Easy is sitting at the dinner table with his laptop.  
“Easy?”  
“Hm?”  
“What are you doing?”  
“I’m editing photos from a shoot.”  
“Hm.”  
And then Ringo reads another chapter, and Easy gets up to get a drink and he sets a second bottle of beer down in front of Ringo. It’s a kind of smooth flow that makes things between them more breathable.

“Do you have plans tonight?” Easy asks. Ringo raises his eyebrows. Easy hasn’t seen him go out once since they’ve known each other. “Well, it is Friday.” Easy adds.  
Ringo sighs and sits up a little, putting a piece of paper in his book and closing it. “I have a thing from school tonight, some sort of party because we’re halfway through the first semester or something.”  
“You don’t sound too excited about it.” Easy says as he squints at his laptop screen.  
“Hmm, I’m not.”  
“Oh come on,” Easy says, still not taking his eyes off of his screen, “there’s not a girl from your class you want to bump into?”  
Ringo tilts his head in confusion. “No, why would there be?”  
Easy coughs a little and takes a sip from his beer. “Well, you’re handsome and you’re fun. Who wouldn’t want to date you?”

Ringo feels his cheeks heat a little at that. “Well thanks, but I’m sure plenty of people disagree with that. Not everyone is as nice as you.” Easy playfully rolls his eyes at that.  
“You should go nonetheless.” Easy says. “You think?” Ringo says, wondering why Easy wants him to go so badly.  
“Yeah, it’s your first year of university! There’s enough time left for you to study and stress about everything, you should get out there and socialize whilst you can.”  
Ringo takes that in. Maybe Easy has a point. And he doesn’t know about all of the other events Ringo has dodged already up until this point.  
Ringo nods slowly. “Alright, I’ll go.” Easy gives him a thumbs up from behind his laptop. “Good for you.”

After dinner, Ringo is standing in his room in jeans and nothing else, staring at his closet. He doesn’t want to spend too much time thinking about how he should look, it’s really not that big of a deal. But he can’t show up in just a polo, come on. So he grabs two shirts, a white one and a dark blue one, and walks out into the living room. “Easy, if I wear a black blazer, which one do I wear underneath?” Ringo holds both shirts up. Easy stands at the counter and turns around, his gaze going a little hazy at the sight in front of him, eyes decidedly to the south of Ringo’s face. Ringo wiggles the shirts. “Easy?”  
Easy’s eyes snap up to Ringo’s. “Dark blue.” Ringo smiles at him. “Thanks.”  
He walks back into his bedroom and softly closes the door, tossing the white shirt on his bed and pulling the blue one over his head. He grabs the blazer from a hanger and puts it on, walking back out into the living room.

Easy is leaning against the counter, a cup of coffee in his head. There’s a fond gaze as he looks at Ringo who is tugging on his blazer. “Go on, give me a spin.” Easy teases, but Ringo spreads his arms and twirls.  
He stands still as he faces Easy. “Yes? Good?”  
Easy hides a grin behind his mug. “Beautiful.” Ringo takes a deep breath. “Good. Well. Then I’m off, I guess.” He pats his jeans, making sure his phone is in his pocket as well as his wallet.  
“Are you nervous?” Easy asks incredulously. Ringo turns to look at Easy. He hesitates and stays quiet for a moment, “a little,” he admits.  
Easy frowns. “Why?” Ringo walks over to the hallway where the mirror hangs.  
“I don’t know, there’s going to be a bunch of people there who I don’t even know that well yet. I just get tense around these sorts of things.” His blazer feels like it’s not fitting that well and he’s already doubting the shirt but he walks back over to Easy anyway, who puts his cup down on the counter and meets him halfway.  
“You’ll be fine.” Easy leans in a little and folds the collar of the blazer down, smoothing it out with his hands afterwards. 

Ringo immediately realises that this is the closest he’s physically been to Easy, because he hasn’t felt like this before. Easy’s concentrated on his jacket, which is why Ringo lets his eyes dance all over him. Easy’s hair is neatly coiffed up, a light stubble grazing his cheeks. Whenever Ringo sees Easy’s eyes, he’s struck by how warm and friendly they are. Inviting.  
Then Easy looks up at him all of a sudden. “Thanks.” Ringo whispers.  
Easy nods and pats his chest once more before stepping away. Ringo walks out of the door before he does anything else.

When Ringo comes back, sweaty and warm, Easy is laying on the couch, his laptop perched on his lap. He’s grinning at the screen and Ringo can hear a voice talking to him. “Sorry,” Ringo mouths at Easy as he tries to close the front door as softly as possible. Easy looks at Ringo and back at his screen. “I gotta go. I’ll text you. Bye.” He closes his laptop.  
“Was that, uhm, whatshisface?” Ringo says as he throws his keys on the table, “I mean, the guy with the curly hair.” He puts his coat away. “It was, yeah.” Easy sounds like he didn’t want to disclose that information.  
Ringo smiles at Easy as he walks to the kitchen, filling a glass of water and turning around so he’s leaning against the counter but facing Easy. 

“That’s great.” He sounds genuine to his own ears but apparently not to Easy.  
“You don’t have to pretend Ringo.” Easy doesn’t even really sound angry or bitter, he just sounds hurt.  
“I’m not!” Ringo says, “I honestly don’t care who you sleep with Easy.” he promises.  
Easy clenches his jaw and looks away. “Really, I don’t.” Ringo reinforces. Easy looks at him and gives him a forced smile. “Yeah, okay.”  
They both stay quiet for a bit and Ringo feels like he’s missing something. “Did I do something wrong?”  
Easy shakes his head. “No, it’s all good. I’m gonna go to bed. Bye.” And with that he leaves.

 

Ringo wakes up the next morning to an email that the only class he has that day is cancelled. When he walks into the living room, still in his pyjamas, Easy is nowhere to be found, but there is a note on the table. _At a job_. Ringo hates the fact that he can’t tell if that’s true or if Easy is avoiding him. 

He’s just finished with breakfast when his phone buzzes. It’s a text from Kira. _Skype session? X_  
Ringo smiles and walks into his bedroom, settling on his bed with his laptop.  
“Hey!” His sister’s face grins back at him and it’s so good to see her. “Hi brother dear. How are things in your new place?”  
Ringo’s face falls without him meaning to. Kira frowns. “What’s up, is something wrong?”  
“No no, it’s great!”, Ringo quickly says, “the place itself is great and uni is so close now, it’s nice. And my roommate is also…”, Ringo waits a tick too long, “good.”, he settles on.

Kira is immediately suspicious. “Good? Your texts from like a week ago were more enthusiastic.”  
Ringo rolls his eyes. His sister is more attentive than he’d like sometimes.  
Ringo sucks his lips inside his mouth, looking down at his hands.  
“Okay. Can I tell you something?”  
Kira swivels her head. “Yeah, of course.” Ringo takes a deep breath.

“M’kay, here’s the thing. It’s about my roommate, Easy. He’s really great, he’s been good to me from the moment I moved in. And then I found out he’s gay. Or at least into men.” Kira groans at him. “Oh please don’t tell me you have an issue with that Ringo.”  
“I thought I didn’t!” Ringo exclaims, waving his hands around. “That’s the thing! I walked in on him making out with this guy and I felt really uncomfortable, even though I think I’m fine with Easy being into men.” Kira looks like she’s in thought. “So, what is the part that made you uncomfortable?”  
Ringo sighs and drags a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, just seeing him with that guy made me feel uneasy. And it happened again kind of, and I was really rude to him even though I didn’t want to be. And then I tried to get over myself and I told Easy I don’t care who he sleeps with, but that seemed to upset him even more.”

Kira looks confused for a moment, and then her face lights up, and she gets this smile on her face Ringo only recognizes from when they were younger and Kira had found something to hold over Ringo’s head so she could get what she wanted.  
“And if you imagine Easy with another guy? Not this one, but someone else?”  
Ringo thinks for a moment. He tries to imagine Easy on a date with a random guy, he mentally steers away from curly hair but all he sees is Easy affectionately staring at a man, and it hurts.  
“No,” Ringo shakes his head, “no I don’t like it.”  
Kira pushes her lips together but a smile peeks through. “And what if it’s not some random guy kissing him but it’s you?”

Ringo frowns. “I’m not gay Kira.”  
“Shut up.” She immediately fires back. “Just think about it. What if you’re not uncomfortable with Easy kissing men, but you’re uncomfortable with him kissing a man _who’s not you_?”  
Ringo blinks and looks away. “Oh _fuck_.”  
“Yeah.” Kira grins. “Okay, wow.” Ringo utters.  
“I think I’ve thought about how attractive he is a bunch of times,” Ringo says, the pieces now somehow falling into place, “and I got irrationally annoyed when Easy went on a date.”  
Kira smiles at him. “You’ve got a crush on the guy, bro.” Ringo chews on his lip.  
“I might have, yeah.”

 

Ringo spends the hours after his call with Kira laying on his back, staring at the ceiling, after he’s gotten dressed. Clearly, he’s not as straight as he thought he was. His eyes fall closed and he thinks about what Easy looked like, on the couch, with Curly.  
He liked the way Easy had his fingers bunched in Curly’s shirt, tugging on it to bring him closer.  
He imagines what it would feel like to have Easy’s lips pressed up against his own, being able to feel him smile. Ringo wonders if Easy’s lips are soft or a little rough, if he could feel Easy’s stubble brushing against his cheek, if having Easy close would feel as joyous as he thinks it would.

His thoughts are interrupted by Easy walking through the front door. Ringo sits up, and he can hear Easy walking around in the kitchen. As much as he wants to back out, he has to do this at some point. Why not now.  
He doesn’t give himself too much time to think about it, and walks straight into the kitchen.  
“Hey.” Easy doesn’t look at him as he grabs a water bottle from the fridge, his voice monotone.  
“Hi.” Ringo says nervously, “can we talk?”  
Easy turns around, bottle in hand. “Uhm, sure.”  
Ringo walks over to the couch and sits down, waits for Easy to do the same.

He doesn’t really know where to start, only having cleared up his own confusion about two hours ago. Ringo wipes his hands down his jeans. Easy is still looking at him expectantly, clearly not knowing where this is about to go.

“I don’t really know how to say this, so I’ll just tell you what the situation is,” Ringo says, “so just hear me out.” He takes a short shuddering breath in.  
“When I saw you with that guy, on our couch, I got really uncomfortable. And I know that, in turn, made you uncomfortable. And I’m sorry about that. I didn’t really understand it myself, because I thought I knew for sure I wasn’t homophobic, but I couldn’t ignore that discomfort and that sick feeling and I couldn’t really place it. So I got really upset, I began doubting myself because I felt like I didn’t understand myself anymore. And then I figured that making you upset because of my stupid feelings wasn’t worth it, so I tried to reassure you I don’t care about who you sleep with but that somehow made you more upset.” Ringo can feel he’s talking really fast and he’s too scared to look to the side at Easy, so he keeps his gaze straight in front of him, not really focused on anything.

“And then I spoke with my sister this morning, and I told her all of this as well. And she asked me if maybe the reason I didn’t like seeing you with a man wasn’t because it’s a man, but because it’s not… me.” Ringo trails off. He slowly turns his head to look at Easy, whose looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face, taking in what Ringo is saying.  
“And I think I realised she may be right.” Ringo says quietly.

Easy opens his mouth to say something and then closes it again. “So you’re not homophobic, you’re jealous?” Ringo flushes slightly. It sounds silly when Easy puts it like that. “I guess so, yeah.”  
Easy shifts in his seat and scoots a little closer to Ringo.  
“Do you want to test your theory?” Ringo stares at Easy. “How.”  
Easy’s face comes even closer, Ringo’s senses overwhelmed in the best way. “I could kiss you. See how that feels.”  
Ringo can’t do anything but nod and then Easy’s lips touch his and he closes his eyes because it’s a sensation that demands all of his attention. He thinks Easy might pull away after a singular touch but his lips glide off of Ringo’s only for them to reconnect, and Easy angles his head in a way that lets Ringo feel Easy’s whole mouth against his own. 

Ringo raises a hand, wanting to put it somewhere but not knowing where so he lets it fall on Easy’s knee and squeezes lightly, feeling Easy’s smile shortly afterwards. Easy pulls back, eyes slowly opening. “How was that.” He whispers, eyes on Ringo’s lips.  
Ringo clears his throat, eyes flicking between Easy’s. “Yeah. I like you.”  
Easy grins and his eyes sparkle in that way Ringo thinks no one else's do. “Good. Because I like you too.”  
Ringo narrows his eyes. “You do?” Easy nods. “I broke it off with that guy a while back. And when you said you didn’t care who I slept with I got upset because I wanted you to care.”  
Ringo laughs sheepishly. “Well, I did. Just not in the way I thought I did.”

“So what now.” Ringo says, feeling a little lost. It’s been a hell of a morning, and he’s not sure how many more revelations he can handle in a single day.  
“We could go on a date, when you’re ready.” Easy says with a soft smile.  
A feeling of warmth spreads in Ringo’s chest. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

It’s just having a drink in the café downstairs, but the company is like none Ringo has ever had before. When he’d spoken with his sister a few days earlier she was absolutely delighted he had agreed to a date with Easy, not letting initial doubts and timidity about what this all means and what his identity is get in the way of something great.

And now Ringo sits opposite Easy, who’s animatedly telling him about how he got into photography, the passion and enthusiasm he has for the topic evident.  
They both look a little more dressed up than usual, even though it was a little strange getting ready for a date _with each other_ in the same apartment.  
“I’d really like to do a shoot with you sometime, you know.” Easy mentions.  
Ringo laughs. “Why?” Easy swallows a sip of beer and gestures to Ringo’s face. “Have you seen the way you look? All you’d need is a minimalistic backdrop and you’ve got some killer shots.”  
Ringo shakes his head with a stupid smile on his face. “I mean it, your face is all sharp lines and angles.”, Easy says seriously, “it’s beautiful.” Easy’s eyes widen as if he hadn’t meant to say it so directly, but Ringo beams nonetheless.

Easy ends up paying for their drinks – _“I can’t let a college student pay for me now can I”_ – and then they’re walking up the stairs to their apartment.  
They stay silent until they’re standing in the apartment, both a little unsure of what to do.  
“I guess this is where we part ways?”, Ringo says, “as in, we both go to our separate bedrooms?”  
Easy laughs and the tension breaks. “Don’t laugh, I’ve never done this before!” Ringo says, a grin on his face, “what usually happens at the end of a date?”

Easy raises his eyebrows. “Well, that depends.” He steps closer to Ringo and unbuttons Ringo’s coat, gliding his hands over his chest until he can remove the piece of clothing, letting it fall on the floor.  
“Do you think the date was a success?” Easy asks quietly. Ringo nods. “Yes,” he says, his voice slightly hoarse.  
Easy leans in close, his nose brushing Ringo’s. “Then you could kiss me, if you want.” And he stays like that, waiting for Ringo to do something and giving him 100% control.  
Ringo cups his hand over the side of Easy’s face and kisses him, soft and tentative at first but growing more confident by the second. Easy stretches up, standing on his tiptoes and throwing his arms around Ringo’s neck. It’s unlike any kiss Ringo has ever had, and he kind of never wants it to end.

And then he can feel Easy’s tongue pushing against his lips, and on instinct Ringo opens his mouth and Easy lets out this soft little content sigh as his tongue slides in, and Ringo holds Easy’s waist, the both of them walking until Easy’s back hits a wall. He can feel Easy trying to get closer, and as soon as he lifts Easy, Easy’s legs fold around his waist, holding him in place against the wall. Ringo feels lightheaded with the need to breathe, so he pulls slightly and Easy takes the opportunity to press kisses along his jaw, his neck, and Easy’s stubble prickles Ringo in the best way. Ringo blissfully sighs, and Easy laughs quietly. Easy slowly slides down until he’s standing on the ground again. 

“I’m really glad we’re doing this, Ringo.” Easy says honestly, eyes open and true. “Me too.” Ringo says with a smile.  
They sleep in their own bed that night, but they’re closer than ever before.  
They take things slow, and it’s nice because it gives Ringo enough time to mentally catch up. There’s plenty of dates, dinners and breakfasts shared, and then Easy has to go to Munich for a week for a job, and when he comes back Easy falls into Ringo’s arms without thinking about it, and Ringo feels an ache dissolve in his stomach. 

Ringo talks to Kira that night. “So everything worked out?” She asks with an excited grin. Ringo can’t help but fondly smile back.  
“I guess so, yeah. It took a while to catch each other, but once we did, we didn’t let go.”


End file.
